This invention is related to a method and a device for attaching a paper border on a vertical wall. One of the problems with attaching a paper border on a wall is that normally the entire length of paper is soaked in water to activate the adhesive. The paper border which may be several feet long must then be held by one person so that the different sections of the paper do not contact one another while the adhesive is wet. A second person then progressively presses the paper border to the wall in a horizontal motion. This is a time-consuming process and may take an hour or so to apply a single strip of paper.
This problem has been addressed in the prior art. See for example U.S. Pat. No. 5,328,543, issued Jul. 12, 1994, to Thomas G. Campagna for “Border Guide”. This patent discloses a housing mounted on the upper end of a long pole. The pole supports the paper and the housing at a height that generally corresponds to the height to which the paper is being attached.
U.S. Pat. No. 701,727 which was issued Jun. 3, 1902, to Cuthbert Holmes for “Paper Hanging Machine” shows another device for applying wallpaper to a wall. This device mounts the paper on a roller and includes a brush which presses the paper firmly in place. This device can also be used for applying borders. This arrangement of the roller with respect to the handle suggests that the paper is pressed against the wall by the user. The brush applies additional pressure to complete the operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,403,430 issued Apr. 4, 1995 to Araujo et al. shows a border roller applicator. Araujo uses a first roller for holding the paper, and a wiper 12 that removes excess water and paste from the unwinding paper as the paper is pressed against the wall by a second roller 16. His wiper does not apply direct pressure on the paper.
U.S. Pat. No. 471,636 issued to E. M. Graham, shows a paper-hanging machine employing two rollers and a strip E for pressing paper on the wall.